CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When you’re filling in teaching middle school art, you have to keep things interesting.
What You Need To Know
- N.C. Green Power announced McClintock Middle was one of 15 schools that would receive a grant for a new solar panel system
- The grant is only a partial grant meaning the school has to raise $9,000 to go toward maintaining the system
- If they don't raise the money, they'll lose the solar panels
But that’s something Kris Gorman has no problem doing.
While Gorman helps out teaching art, he typically serves as the STEAM coordinator at McClintock Middle School.
It’s inside the school’s innovation lab and library where Gorman is able to engage students using a variety of technology.
“Having this kind of space and having this kind of mindset, we’re looking to change stories,” he said.
And while Gorman loves his job, he never saw himself becoming a teacher.
“I was in 11th grade, and I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life,” he said. “I knew I was good at drawing so I said 'I want to draw for the rest of my life.'”
Somehow that led him to becoming a teacher, and he’s been at Mclintock Middle for the last six years.
Gorman says their school is constantly applying for grants, and most recently, they were awarded a big one.
N.C. Green Power announced McClintock Middle was one of 15 schools that would receive a grant for a new solar panel system.
“It’s very difficult to teach a kid if you just give them a worksheet and say, 'This is solar power,' as opposed to taking them out to a solar panel, showing them what it is, showing them what the connections are,” Gorman said.
The problem is the grant is only a partial grant.
The school has to raise $9,000 to go toward maintaining the system. If it doesn't raise the money, it'll lose the solar panels.
McClintock Middle is a Title I school, meaning over half of the students fall below the poverty line. For Gorman, bringing in all this technology, like solar panels, is something he knows would benefit his students.
“It’s that whole upward mobility piece,” he said. “To be able to get kids these real -experiences in middle school so when they get to high school they can have a better idea of what either college they want to go to, what kind of problem they want to solve there or what kind of career you want to go into.”
It’s those types of tools he knows will help him keep making classes like art just that interesting.
Gorman says they have until the end of September to raise the money for this grant.
If you are interested in making a donation you can do so here.